


Memoriae de Argento

by Bluephoenix669



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies), James Bond - All Media Types, Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, BAMF!Bond, Death References, First Meetings, First Time, M/M, Magic, Mermaid!Q, Mermaids, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Near Death Experience, Romance, Sacrifice, Shapeshifting, Slash, Tragedy, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2013-03-13
Packaged: 2017-11-23 11:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/621580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluephoenix669/pseuds/Bluephoenix669
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mission to recover a valuable piece of international security information goes wrong and James Bond is shot and plummeted onto the cold waters of the ocean, he is sure he´s going to die. But when a mysterious creature comes to his rescue and saves him from a near death experience, Bond embarks on a journey to locate it in order to discover the identity of his savior. The only clues he had? A gleaming silver scale and the memory of two magnificent green eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic of this fandom. I have toyed for days with the idea of Mermaid!Q and now this is the result. Loosely based on a post made by sweetkirkandhellaspock on Tumblr. This is an unbeta-ed version. Any corrections would be gladly appreciated. 
> 
> ¨Memoriae de Argento¨- Latin for ¨Memories of Silver¨ (Corrected thanks to linxilla)

_Prologue_

****

Contrary to the popular belief, James Bond wasn´t immortal. Even when he himself liked to think he was, and even when there was also the fact that his favorite hobby was to escape from the seductive clutches of death in order to resurrect, he was also conscious of the fact that, even when he was strong and determined, there was this little nagging problem he had… called humanity.

He was conscious of his mortal body, tattered and battered by years upon years of pain, danger, work, and vices.

He was conscious of his frail, human body. And he loved pushing said to the limits.

He liked risks, liked the fact he could submit his body to any kind of destruction and torture and endure it like a warrior. And then, when everything was dealt with, he would patch himself together and continue as if nothing had happened.

He liked to think he courted death, with an iron will, a good gun and a desire for vengeance.

And most of all, he hated losing. Even when his rival was something as powerful as _Death_ itself.

That was why he felt anger course through him as his body was dragged down the deepest pits of the ocean without any kind of resistance. Trickles of blood poured out from the bullet shot on his shoulder, pain and disorientation clouding his though processes. He had little oxygen left on his lungs. His whole body ached thanks to the impacts he received when falling down the current, and he was too sluggish to even think about a possible solution.

_Bloody hell._

He tried to move. His arms didn´t respond. Above him, the surface almost mocked him, the sky bright and clean, sunray´s lightening the tranquil waters. The last bout of oxygen escaped his lips in streams of whitish bubbles and water rushed inside painfully, his lungs aching and constricting in a way too horrible to put into words.

_I am going to die. Drowned. How… fitting._

His eyes began to close…

And then, out of nowhere, a long expanse of silver appeared on his peripheral vision. Among blurry edges and darkness, a hint of pale skin showed, along with two gleaming green eyes, looking at him amongst the all-consuming darkness. And those eyes, with their unearthly glow, were the last think Bond was able to take on, before unconsciousness took his mind away.

\----%----

He woke up once, sweating profusely, gasping and groaning with pain lacing through his shoulder, and a burning sensation coursing through every cell of his body. His eyes unable to open, feeling bouts of agony mixed with the sensation of cool, slippery and smooth skin gliding softly along his own. Easing the pain, the constriction of his lungs, easing… everything.

\----%----

He woke up for a second time; blurriness overtaking his sight, dizziness and nausea and stiffness rattling his body.

His eyes shifted groggily, taking notice of the slender silhouette by his side, cast in shadows but for two magnificent dark green eyes and ripples of silver, undulating and bright. And then, soft moon rays flickered over, making the man (for it was male, Bond was sure) gleam and Bond was sure he was dead, because something as bizarre and as magnificent as what he was seeing was impossible to be real.

His vision swarmed as the creature shifted closer and Bond felt himself being cradled by cool arms, felt warm and salty breath fanning his face, and evergreen eyes boring into him. And then, the creature parted his lips; a soft and hauntingly deep lullaby breaking past, so beautiful it tore Bond´s breath away, pulling him softly towards a state of dreamless, painless slumber.

\----%----

When Bond opened his eyes for the third time, it was to the sight of an aged woman with long, wavy white hair and bright brown eyes. To the feel of a warm mattress, and thin blankets. To the sight of wooden walls with tropical decorations, and the smell of something with more spice than he would ever tolerate.

_No green eyes. No cool skin, or silver gleams, or enchanting voice to lure him towards sleep._

Just a normal, aged woman whose eyes were too dark, whose skin was wrinkled and warm. Whose worried voice was calm and raspy.

She was draping a cool towel over his forehead; looking at him with a mixture of doubt and anxiousness. ¨You finally woke up¨

¨Where am I? ¨ Bond eased himself up, dropping the towel; taking in his surroundings.

It was then that Bond noticed the absence of any kind of pain. And it was then, that his skin crawled with something akin to shock, his eyes moving rapidly to inspect his wounded shoulder. Same shoulder that now glistened with sweat, taut skin perfect and unmarred, moving painlessly and effortlessly.

The woman noticed his movements, her eyes following every action.

¨You healed me¨ Bond finally whispered, moving his shoulder just to check that it was real, astounded when it rolled perfectly, muscles ripping in place.

But the woman shook her head, her face dropping a little. ¨No. I just found you. You were like that¨ she signaled towards his healed shoulder, and then went up to retrieve something from a little basket near. ¨You had this on your palm¨ she muttered, dropping on Bond´s hand little pieces of a bullet… and a single, gleaming silver scale.

_Silver gleam… Green eyes…_

Bond´s face stayed cool and indifferent, as he let his thumb glide along that unnatural, glistening scale.

When he looked back at the woman, she was looking at the scale intently… a spark of comprehension on her dark, aged orbs. She didn´t smile, but her face softened a little, as she slowly patted him on the shoulder.

¨Seems someone deep down there took a liking to you, boy.¨ and her wrinkled finger signaled outside, to the expanses of a beautiful and calm blue sea whose waters rippled and foamed as they crashed sweetly on shore.

And Bond, enigmatic and apathetic James Bond, the spy and the killer, found himself looking intently at that beautiful sea, transfixed by something that made him wonder...

_… and yearn for the identity of the owner of those green eyes, who was surely lurking somewhere, awaiting to be found._

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here´s the official first chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. Many thanks to mintkov (AO3:http://archiveofourown.org/users/mintkov) for Beta Read this chapter.  
> And also, thanks to River Song, for her help in phrasing German words.  
> Thank you so much sweeties. You´re both awesome.  
> Many thanks to all the beautiful people who had taken time to bookmark, comment and give me kudos. I love you all!

 

~1~

_Trickles of blood, rivulets forming spirals on the calm waters. Black edges, consuming._

_Pain. Devastating. Mind numbing._

_Bright shimmers. Pale expanses. Green eyes surrounded by blackness, narrowing softly. A burning sensation flares from his face. A voice - soft, haunting, and yet oddly enchanting._

_¨Wake up¨_

Pale blue eyes shot open, his hand fast on retrieving the gun he had under his pillow. Almost instantly, his vision was greeted with a slender form of a peacefully sleeping woman whose head was resting on his naked chest, her soft breathing unperturbed by his movements.

The sound of the sea crashing sweetly on shore, and the scent of sea salt and humidity assaulted his senses as he scanned the dark and silent surroundings.

Without disturbing the sleeping woman _/Maryanne/,_ his mind supplied, he slipped out of bed and paroled around, slipping into a pair of sweatpants. He went out of the wooden and cozy house and sat on the last steps of the makeshift wood staircase that led to the little porch and to the entrance of the house. Bond peered at the star filled sky, illuminated by a full moon whose platinum glows descended on the calm waters below. And as he lighted a cigarette and took a long smoke, he looked intently at the sea in front of him, waves forming and then dying as they crashed on shore.

_One week, and still nothing._

He hummed, taking another drag and exhaling the toxic remnants slowly. One week on the same place, looking for any clues that could lead him to locate that - _boy?_ who had saved him. Because Bond refused to think of anything else besides the fact that it was a young man, nothing more. Even when his mind was adamant to make him remember the fact´s, _those ones he was too rational to even think about,_ that made that boy more than a simple man.

He had left the old woman´s house the same day, and had since searched. He had asked, of course. Asked every single man or woman he had crossed if they knew someone with the vague characteristics Bond had on his mind / _A young man. Mid twenties maybe. Pale and skinny. Green eyes/_ but people had just shrugged, or looked at him weirdly as they shook their heads.

And then, Bond had resorted to showing the gleaming scale to a fisherman once, asking him with an uninterested shrug what fish this scale was from, and he knew he had hit a nerve somewhere, because the poor man looked at the scale and almost jumped in fright, shouting in a mixture of German and English something Bond was unable to understand but for just a single word / _Monster/_

_Monster._

From that moment on, Bond stopped showing the scale, but continued asking, receiving just fruitless answers in return.  

One week, and the only thing he had managed to do was to disappear from MI6´s radars, find some woman to share his bed with, and drink like his life depended on it.

¨Why it´s being so bloody difficult to find this boy?” Bond muttered to himself while he exhaled another puff of his cigarette.

_Because it´s not just a boy. And you know it._

The agent sighed, as he crushed the joint of the cigarette on the wood near him, letting it drop and stepping on it before he got up, relinquishing in the feeling of his shoulder moving accordingly _/even when a bullet had painfully lodged itself there once/_ and he risked a last glance at the calm sea before he entered the house again.

~0~

A tense silence floated around Bond as he slowly gulped down the liquor contained on his glass and then moved his arm down to drop the venomous scorpion that seconds before was with its glistening and deathly tail millimeters from pinching his skin. Cheers and victorious hollers rang around him as he swiftly encased the dangerous animal inside the glass, some twenties and hundreds being thrown at him and onto some of the men and women who had witnessed the entire challenge. Bond didn´t give a damn, taking the bills and calling with a hand sign a bartender as a flock of beautiful, tan skinned women began to surround him, trying to gain his attention with suggestive eyes and coy smiles.

However, Bond wasn´t in the mood for seduction. Not tonight. Tonight, he felt angry and restless and a little more drunk than usual. He stopped the bartender, a young man with uninteresting physique and dark, bored eyes, and handed him the hundreds and fifties.

¨Get me your best glass of scotch, kid. And give those ladies whatever they want.¨ he said, signaling vaguely to the giggling group. The youngling nodded and moved towards the women.

When his drink arrived, he locked eyes with the little group, saluted them with his liquor in hand and gulped it down in one swift motion, letting down the glass. Bond abandoned his seat with solid grace, calmly walking out of the dingy bar located on the outskirts of the beach.

The agent walked idly, along the sandy shore, his bare feet burrowing on the grainy and cool sand; the night filled with more stars than before and the moon still bright and beautiful. As he got farther away, the amount of people began to diminish, until he was walking alone, sea water caressing his feet as it washed the shore, the sensation cool and pleasant.

It was late. Maybe midnight, judging by the sky and the darkness that was only diminished by platinum moon rays. Slowly, he sat down on the sand, far from the water, looking with a bored expression towards a bed of rocks several meters away; waves crashing onto them constantly, water running along and dripping down the rocky and algae filled edges.

And so intently he was looking at those rocks, that he was able to catch a glimpse of something appearing on the edge opposite from where he was looking. He stood, his instincts alert, his chest heaving with pulsing adrenaline as another roll of waves crashed against the rocks, water spilling over. The slight movement he noticed earlier transformed into something larger that crawled from the waters.

Bond began to move, silently – _instinctively_ – moving between the shadows formed by the palm trees that were adjacent to the bed of rocks he was approaching. His hand was resting on the gun he had safely tucked on his body, which was more of a subconscious habit rather than due to facing an actual threat.

And then, the _thing_ began to move again as another wave crashed fiercely on the rocks; crawling and easing itself up from nowhere to hop onto the bed of polished rocks and Bond´s first thought was / _How the hell someone would be swimming right now on those bloody cold waters so l…?/_

And when the _thing_ rolled its head back into the moonlight, Bond´s heartbeat stopped for a second, his thought processes going straight to _hell._

The thing that ended up being that man Bond had been looking for. That young man who wasn´t a man but… another thing that the agent couldn´t even name at the moment, his mind completely blank.

Young. Slender. His pale, flawless skin gleamed with pearly hues, his naked chest rose and fell softly as the creature lay slowly on the bed of rocks, as if resting. Beautiful hands with long, webbed silvery fingers lay idly on top of the rocks; dark tresses fell softly over a thin face the agent couldn´t completely discern.

And Bond maybe wouldn´t really think much of it. He would’ve left it as just a rare kid with something strange on his hands… but then the kid didn´t have legs.

Instead, he had a long and silver tail, composed of luminous scales that glimmered like small diamonds struck by pale moon rays. A breathtaking, fish-like tail that lapped slowly – almost lazily – over wet, slippery rocks.

And all that could be concluded was that the creature was _too stunningly beautiful_ to be real.

Bond moved slowly, doing everything on his power to keep himself unnoticed as he abandoned the shadows offered by the palm trees and steadily eased his way up the rocks, sliding and moving as he saw the creature lying unperturbed, resting.

Too caught up he was, he lost his footing and slipped while trying to ease up a little closer. The sound was almost deafening as he balanced himself to recover his footing and not hurt himself with the edges of the rocks nearby.

Alarmed by the sudden noise, the being´s upper body shot up from his resting place and turned rapidly towards him.

Stunning green eyes locking with startled pale blue.

And Bond froze, both because of the sight he was greeted with and because he didn´t wanted to move and potentially startle the tense creature in front of him.

Just by looking at those eyes, Bond was completely sure that being had been the one who had saved him. The same one whose scale he had on his pant pocket. The same one who had miraculously healed his shoulder and now was looking at him, two orbs gleaming unnaturally, narrowing softly.

If Bond had thought the creature was beautiful, he had to now find a better term to describe it. Because the pale, chiseled face that was clear below the platinum rays, with it´s thin nose, green almond shaped orbs and plump little lips, all framed by wet, short and wavy brown locks, was so enchanting there couldn’t possibly be a single word that could help the agent fully describe it.

 _Breathtaking, maybe._ But he wouldn´t want to sound cheesy _._

The creature didn´t move, its eyes narrowing a little more, brows furrowing together slightly as the end of its tail fluttered against the black rocks. There was something deep in those beautiful and intelligent eyes. A gleam of recognition, along with a hint of doubt and alertness that contrasted with the calmness on its limbs.

Bond took another step towards the creature, fascinated by its proud and fearless demeanor, standing its ground. It´s silver tail began to move once again, sinuously.

Slowly, not wanting to shatter the calm atmosphere, Bond rummaged into his pant pocket and got out the silvery scale, its contours gleaming softly on the pale moonlight.

¨This is yours, isn´t it? ¨ Bond asked, arming himself with the softest tone he could muster, wondering if the creature would even understand him. ¨You were the one who saved me?¨

The young creature blinked owlishly at him, and then nodded slowly; his face softening slightly as he peered with something akin to curiosity at Bond, his eyes stopping for a second on the agent´s clothed shoulder.

¨You did an excellent job. I don´t even know how… but it was perfect¨ Bond whispered, moving his healed shoulder for emphasis, his eyes racking along the younger´s body, marveled.

The young male´s eyes brightened with something akin to satisfaction, and its perfect and pale lips formed a little smile as his tail swung.

Bond couldn´t even began to list the great amount of sheer incredulity he was feeling at the moment. He was on top of a bed of rocks, looking and talking to something that he thought only existed in myths, or legends. And while the creature wasn´t intent on reciprocating his words, it seemed to understand him.

Bond wondered if he was insane. And then, decided that he wasn´t too shaken by the possibility.

He took another slow step, always extending the scale as he would do with a peace offering. And the creature just looked at him, and Bond maybe imagined it, but there was an amused spark on those eyes… as if the young man found everything he was doing entertaining.

Bond was conscious he would surely look ridiculous, but he was doing anything on his mind to not scare away the other. ¨Wouldn´t you take it? ¨ He said, extending the scale.

The creature shook its head, and looked at Bond as one would look at someone who had just asked a very stupid question. Bond was not amused by that. People _often_ told him he was smart.

¨Yours¨ The man-fish replied then, his voice soft, warm, slightly raspy; the word drawn out carefully, as if with some difficulty. He extended an arm, webbed fingers signaling first the scale, and then at Bond.

Bond´s breath caught on his throat as he peered incredulously at the figure, flabbergasted at hearing that cooing, honeyed voice.

¨You can talk¨ Bond deadpanned, arching his eyebrows.

The creature´s brows furrowed deeply, as if insulted. His tail swooshed more vigorously, its end hitting the rocks once, twice. ¨Yes¨ he replied, and his voice took a darker, defensive tint.

_I am insane. Or wasted. Maybe both. Probably both._

¨You aren´t a figment of my imagination, are you?¨ Bond suddenly said, kneeling in front of the creature, still separated enough to give it space, but near enough to relinquish in every single beautiful detail on the young male´s physique.

As an answer, the creature dipped his webbed hands onto an eroded rock filled with sea water, gathered some floating seaweed there and then threw it directly onto Bond´s face, the prickling and slimy weeds sliding down the agent´s stunned façade as the merman smirked.

_And no, the creature wasn´t a figment of his imagination. Bond didn´t know if that notion unnerved him or not._

¨Do you have a name?¨ Bond asked then, his gaze locked with those impressive eyes that were fixed intently on him.

A nod.

¨Mind telling me?¨

The creature looked at him for a moment, and then, when he was about to open his mouth and tell Bond, the sound of howling and laughter erupted from shore, a group of people screaming in drunken delight.

The young man´s eyes widened, his whole body easing up and crawling rapidly towards the edge of the bed of rocks as Bond jumped, and went upright in a matter of seconds.

¨Wait!¨ Bond exclaimed, his voice a hushed and desperate whisper.

But the creature shook it´s head and then jumped from the rocks towards the dark and deep waters, its tail gleaming for barely a second and then disappearing. Bond stopped at the edge, and then went back slightly, cursing as he did so, when a wave crashed against the rocks and drenched him.

_Damn it! Damn it all to bloody hell!_

Bond´s fists tightened, a deep sense of dissatisfaction, anger and disappointment creeping up to him. He looked at the partying group that continued to holler and laugh shrilly and calmly, he got his gun out and shot three times to the air, gaining a deep satisfaction in seeing them cry out and scatter in fear.

Still, he couldn´t help but feel angered, as he peered wistfully at the now calm ocean, looking intently for any traces of silver and hoping with all his might the beautiful creature would crawl back.

Minutes passed, and nothing. Bond sighed, dejected.

¨You didn´t gave me your name!¨ He suddenly screamed at the oceans, and sighed again when only silence answered him. The thought of him being insane came back to taunt him.

He stepped down from the rocks, and looked across the wide ocean once more, his eyes paying attention to anything that moved. When he came to the conclusion that it was fruitless and that, at least for today, the creature wouldn´t come back, Bond turned his head and walked away, his feet dragging the grainy sand, his mind still filled with thoughts, with questions he wasn´t able to ask. A couple of fleeting images of that beautiful being who had disappeared as gracefully and mysteriously as he had appeared managed to find it’s way into Bond’s thoughts.

And as he entered his provisional house, and sat down on the mattress, alone and cold without a woman to share his bed, he let himself flop down and stared at the ceiling, his mind occupied with thoughts pertaining that stunning young male, with its green eyes and long, silver tail.

And Bond promised to himself, that he would look for that creature again.

_Tomorrow is a new day. And I will find you… I swear._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´m so very sorry for the long wait! College it´s killing me. Thank you to all the people who had commented and for the kudos and bookmarks. You make this girl so happy! Also, this chapter is unbeta-ed, so there would be mistakes. I would gladly correct them if you, dear readers, signal them to me. Also, I´m looking for a Beta Reader, so if you´re one, please! I need your services!

_Chapter 2_

True to his promise, James Bond continued searching and waiting for the mysterious young male, while at the same time trying to find enough information to feel at least a little less skeptic.

He spent a whole day stuffed inside a little, cramped library on the outskirts of the city, reading through books with yellowed pages about myths regarding sea creatures. Reading about giant octopuses, sea monsters capable of submerging a transatlantic, and nymphs. Reading about mermaids: beautiful fish like women, with golden hair and long gleaming tails. And about mermen, men with long and powerful limbs, opaque skin, greenish hair, and darkened tails. The images portrayed these sea creatures as something either unrealistically beautiful, or grotesquely horrible, especially the male species.

And Bond couldn’t help but snort at how inaccurate everything was. Because that boy /that merman/ he had seen days ago, bathed in the soft glow of the gleaming moon and looking at him with eyes like emeralds, had been the most beautiful, breathtaking being Bond had ever lain his eyes upon.

So beautiful it put the pictures of even these stunning fish like women to shame.

He carded absentmindedly through pages upon pages of information, thinking about how utterly strange it was, for someone like him, to do what he was doing. Looking for information about some mythological creature, instead of being back in London, reporting back from his extended MIA, receiving missions, killing people.

Instead, he was rooted on a fisher´s town, enjoying death by bedding women, drinking absurdly and chasing after a wondrous being.

_I am absolutely insane._

After his initial information gathering, he spent three whole days going back towards the same bed of polished rocks where he and the creature first met. He sat on the edge, near enough to see the sea and far enough for the waves to not drench him over. But even when he sat there, and looked at the horizon of black waters gleaming pearly white under the moon rays, Bond never saw a glimpse of silver, or a spark of green. Never saw long limbs or webbed, glistening and pure white fingers. Never saw mops of curly dark hair, or plump little rosy lips.

For three days he waited, and for three days he went back, feeling defeated, and angry, restless and maybe a little worried. For the creature never appeared, and Bond had a tendency of thinking the most horrible and pessimistic of scenarios.

Today was the fourth night. Bond sat at a stool in the only bar on town and ordered a glass of scotch. This was going to be the last night he would entertain this little adventure. It was time to go back to reality, snap out of this obsession that was lurking inside him. _Move on_.

But even as he gulped down his drink and ordered a new one, Bond couldn´t help but realize how utterly wrong it felt, to desist from such a wonderful adventure. After all, he had come into terms with what he´d seen, accepting the existence of that beautiful and strange boy as something real and not something out of his imagination.

The gleaming scale, still as beautiful and perfect as the first day, only served to boost the reality.

_I should forget about this madness. Forget about that boy. Go back to London. M would try to cut me a new one, but I know she would end up accepting me. I should just… forget about all of this._

But he couldn’t. Bond couldn´t entertain the thought of forgetting that beautiful man; those beautiful eyes, that wonderful being that gleamed like pure silver, and whose voice was soft and warm like honey.

And Bond wondered if it was all because that young merman had somehow enchanted him. For Bond felt like that, enchanted… mesmerized, unable to forget or concentrate in anything besides that boy.

He gulped down his last drink, stood up and after leaving his pay on the table he left, the alcohol enough to make him feel a little less discouraged.

Bond decided that today, would be the last day he would try to contact the creature. If it didn´t appear, Bond would just desist and go back to London. He wasn´t a patient man, had never been. And even while he knew he wouldn´t be able to forget about that merman, Bond knew he couldn´t get too obsessed over something that maybe wouldn´t ever come back. It would end up destroying him, it would end up making him mad.

And if there was one think James Bond despised, was the thought of weakening enough to let his mind crush under the pressure and despair of /waiting/ and /hoping/ for something that maybe would never come.

With that thought on mind, Bond waited until it was night, and swept over the bed of rocks again, sitting on the same little rocky corner, staring at the beautiful and calm sea, waves crashing against shore, spilling salty water everywhere, the soft sound of everything relaxing his turbulent thoughts.

There was a moment among silent contemplation that Bond saw movement from the corner of his eyes, coming from the sandy chore. Three burly men, sneaking past him and running God knows where, carrying bags and nets, yelling and laughing excitedly about something Bond couldn´t hear. He followed them with his eyes until they were so far away he wasn’t able to distinguish their forms.

He frowned slightly, but didn´t contemplated too much on it. They were surely drunkards, feeling high and pumped with alcohol. Bond had seen enough of those on these outskirts to identify them properly.

He sighed, and continued his silent staring, feeling utterly foolish and out of place. Slowly, as time trickled by, restlessness and hopelessness began to settle. By midnight, he was getting up again, feeling dreadful, angry and betrayed, even when he knew he should have expected it.

Bond contemplated the sea once again, and a sudden impulse made him rummage inside his trouser´s pocket, taking out the gleaming scale that he always had with him. Bond was intent to throw it on the sea and continue his walking, but he stopped when his eyes landed on the scale, frowning slightly.

The once beautiful silver scale on his hand was now chipped, what had once been a bright gleaming piece now grayish and opaque; something that silently spoke of illness and death.

Bond felt something harsh tug at his chest, observing the slow decay of the scale. It was preposterous, but Bond had been sure the scale had been fine hours ago. Hell, he had even taken it out that same morning, seeing it as beautiful as ever… and now…

Now it was almost as if…

The faint sounds of bloodcurdling screams tore his thoughts away, it´s faint echoes reaching through him, coming from very far. He snapped his vision away from the scale, looking towards the direction the screams came from while hopping down the bed of rocks.

Bond didn´t know why, but those screams made everything inside him lit… with fire and anger and so much… so much…

_Anxiety._

He ran along shore, taking out his gun and preparing it. As he approached a secluded part of the beach, filled with rocks, the screams turned into wails, uttered with a tone too beautiful, too heart wrenching to be human. Accompanying the horrible sounds were deep throated laughs, cheers and gruff voices, and when Bond was able to get near enough to see, he felt every cell on his body lighting with hate.

There it was… there he was. The beautiful, mesmerizing creature that had haunted Bond´s dreams. That utterly precious young male, crying out and hissing while battling fruitlessly with a net that trapped him, his long tail flapping uselessly against the sand, the gills on his chest opening and closing rapidly, decayed and grayish. The three men Bond had seen hours before were surrounding the creature, observing it with delighted and lust filled expressions, poking at it with metal hooks as the creature trashed and snarled, showing his gleaming teeth at the men, flailing his arms in a threatening manner, cutting his skin with the net, his frantic cooing sounds resounding everywhere.

´Look at this! We would be rich!´

´Such a beautiful monster! I cannot even believe we were able to trap something like this!´

´How many days had it been? Three? Hah! A miracle it didn´t escaped and we were able to pull it out!´

´Feisty little shite. Look at it, baring his teeth at us! We should teach it some manners´

The creature wailed as one of the thugs grounded a foot on his silver tail, the sound horrifying and brutal.

And Bond had enough. More than enough. Without uttering a single sound he sneaked from his hiding place, pointed at the thug that had dared to hurt the creature and shot him straight on the back of his head, the sound deafening, blood splattering the other´s thug’s faces and clothes as the man stumbled and fell flat on his chest. ¨Get away from him.¨ Bond said then, his tone calm and nonchalant, even when his hold on the gun was steady, and his eyes were deathly.

The two men looked at each other, horror and anger mixing on their faces. One of them lunged at Bond, snarling angrily, a hook on his hand. The agent simply shot him, squarely on the chest, without a single second of doubt, the body falling with a thump. The remaining one, the youngest of the three, began to run away, but Bond just aimed calmly at his retreating and tumbling figure, and, silently glad for the steadiness of his healed shoulder, pulled the trigger, the thug´s body falling instantly against the sand.

Without losing time, he ran towards were the gasping creature lay, his beautiful skin pale and full of cuts and burns from the rough net, his wounded sides spilling a bluish substance resembling blood, droplets falling on the sand. The male´s tail flapped again and again against the sand, graying, the scales shriveling and decaying. His beautiful face, contorted in pain and anguish, his green eyes gleaming with confusion and anger, his wet hair splayed against the sand, his lips parted open, gasping.

¨Hush, hush. I´m here… Can you remember me?¨ Bond murmured, kneeling besides the creature and slowly removing the net from his frail looking body.

A webbed hand grasped at Bond´s hand almost instantly, closing around it, gripping it tightly as those evergreen eyes bore into the agent´s bluish orbs. And even when the creature didn´t utter a single sound, there was something deep, something almost pleading on the bright expanses of those wondrous eyes, which made Bond´s inside lit and his instincts to abide.

Bond sprang into action, taking the creature between his arms and moving towards his place; feeling it rest his head against him, gasping quietly, clutching at him so tightly Bond knew there would be bruises on his skin tomorrow.

He clutched at the warm body tighter as they reached the threshold of his provisional housing, the creature trashing weakly against him, webbed fingers clawing at his chest.

Bond slid inside his tiny bathroom, and slowly lay down the young male on his tub. Green eyes widened, webbed hands clutching at the tub´s porcelain sides, his tail flapping against the porcelain, so big and long a part of it dangled outside. He cooed weakly, staring at Bond, his body tense and his grip tight.

¨I hope this is enough. If not, then I would have to run with you towards the sea¨ Bond said, before opening the shower hose, a rain of water splashing against the young male´s head, making him cry out and scramble away, the scales on his tail chipping and falling inside the tub, the creature trashing desperately, his noises frantic.

Bond was about to close the pouring water, cursing and a little anxious, but he stopped in mid motion when he saw how the scales began to shrivel and fall in large clumps along the floor of the tub, shedding away with painful little sounds of tearing and revealing patches of smooth and reddish skin. As the water thrummed at the creature´s chest, his gills slowly began to shrivel and close too, leaving behind faint, bluish arch like scars on his skin, the webbings around his hands curling and retreating, leaving little scars on every finger, his tail shedding away until two long, gleaming legs surged, flailing clumsily, the hint of a subtle and round arse and other parts of a male´s anatomy showing, toes curling, one leg dangling outside the tiny tub, trembling and beautiful.

And Bond just stared, utterly flabbergasted, not a single sound escaping his lips.

_Bloody hell._

The creature /the young man/, gasped weakly, his body lying boneless against the tub, clumps of grayish scales on the porcelain floor. Looking utterly strange with his trembling and slightly parted legs covered by a thin sheen of something slippery, bits and little chunks of scales still breaking and falling, some of them rooted on the pale skin, the water washing away everything.

The young male cooed again, his voice weak, trembling against the now cold freshwater splashing over him, looking first at his legs and then at Bond with utter fright.

Bond locked gazes with the young man, unable to convey a particular emotion without spilling away the utter amazement and worry and skepticism and everything else that ran through him now.

¨So… you have legs¨ he remarked then, moving towards a shelf to gather a large towel, trying to sound nonchalant, even when he was shaking his head, trying to come to terms with what he had seen.

Because James Bond had seen a lot of strange, utterly terrifying and marvelous scenarios on his life, but this one… this one won all the awards.

The young male made a spluttering sound and cooed again, trying to scramble in the tiny tub and failing, his body all flailing limbs.

And even while the young man´s body was beautiful, his long legs glistening and smooth and his arse round and plump, Bond couldn’t help but grin at how clumsy the boy was, battling against his own body and ending up in a mess of trembling limbs.

¨Stop. You´re going to hurt yourself¨ Bond said, closing the water flux and leaning down to wrap the towel around the young man´s naked body, feeling him tense slightly and then relax, a hand moving to grip at his arm. The boy´s skin was oddly cool, not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to be noticeable.

He swept the boy up, carding his lithe body between his arms, snickering at the grunts and undignified noises that broke past the boy´s lips. He wasn´t talking like last time, and even while his sounds were oddly adorable, Bond couldn´t help but want more.

He laid the young man on top of his bed, and leaned back. A pang of veiled lust seized at him, when the creature began to move, legs sliding along the sheets, the towel riding up, a hint of thigh showing, unblemished and luscious, his head lolling, arrays of dark locks spilled on white, his mouth parted open, sucking air, half lidded emerald eyes looking at him: confusion and exhaustion bright on them.

Bond cleared his throat, looking elsewhere, damning his instinctual desires, his predatory lust. The boy was beautiful, yes. Far more beautiful than anything Bond had seen. But he wouldn´t take advantage of him. Not like this.

_He wasn´t even human, for God´s sake. Who knows if he even understands what a shag is._

¨Are you hurt somewhere?¨ he asked, trying to peel away his thoughts while rummaging for a First Aid Kit he had bought days ago.

The young man peeled off his towel, signaling some scrapes and cuts on his torso. He seemed undaunted by his nakedness, staring at Bond with a cool aloofness that threw the agent slightly off guard.

_Well, he wouldn´t know what clothes are. That with the tail and… For god´s sake, What am I thinking? He isn´t human. Of course he wouldn´t know shite about clothes._

Bond sighed, and then sat on the side of the bed, taking a dab with alcohol and gently patting the wounds, the boy hissing at the sting. ¨It´s just alcohol. See? To help you get better¨ he shook the bottle, seeing how the boy got up, one of his hands shooting up and grabbing the bottle, looking at it and prodding, sniffing it and wrinkling his nose at the odour.

Bond smirked, finding the boy´s antics endearing. He grabbed the bottle when the young man made motions of wanting to taste it, deep and green eyes looking at him almost instantly, narrowing angrily. ¨This is not for drinking. You will get ill.¨ Bond said, leaving the bottle far away from reach and patching the boy up, gently peeling away the boy´s curious hands when he tried to touch the bandages.

¨Why you don´t heal yourself? You did the same to me.¨ Bond asked when he was finished, tucking the instruments away.

Said man shook his head. ¨Not same. Others… yes. Me… cannot.¨ he replied after a moment, in that same posh little voice, honeyed, the words spilling out disorganized and with difficulty.

¨You can heal others, but not yourself?¨ Bond repeated, trying to understand. The young man nodded weakly, groaning and burrowing deeper against the sheets. Bond had half the mind to just look, entranced by the creature´s beauty, by how his skin gleamed almost unnaturally in the dim light. ¨That is inconvenient¨ he breathed, following the slow slide of one sinuous leg over white silk.

The young man didn´t hear him. Or at least didn´t looked like he heard him, cooing softly, his bright eyes closing slowly.

Bond slowly extended a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, slid the pads of his fingertips over the soft, luscious skin of one of the young man´s legs, the touch slight and feathery.

A small, breathy sound broke past the man´s lips, green eyes parting open again, a shiver racking over his naked form.

For Bond, the young man was like sin itself. Devastatingly beautiful, inhumanly tempting, naivety and sensuality easing out of that gleaming skin like currents; encasing the agent´s senses and throwing him into a daze of unbidden desire. Like a moth to a fire. The predator being encased inside the prey´s allure. That mythical allure that sunk ships, drowned sailors, made human hearts bleed and tear with madness and despair.

A curse for the lesser men. For the weak of mind. But Bond wasn´t lesser, nor weak.

He sighed, stopped the touch and slowly got up. ¨You have never told me your name, merman¨ he murmured as he loomed over the young man´s form, those bright green eyes looking at him sleepily behind long, dark lashes.

Said man snuggled against a pillow, blinking slowly before letting out a strange sound, the sharp intones of a Q the only thing Bond was able to understand.

¨Something with Q?¨ he repeated, taken off guard.

The merman shook his head, and repeated the vague noise, the sound breaking past his lips in something resembling a ´Kiuuu´

¨Q?¨ Bond said. The merman grunted, and then shrugged, rolling his eyes as if exasperated. He then signaled towards Bond, a dainty, long finger pointing towards James chest.

¨Me?¨ Bond asked. The merman nodded. ¨I´m Bond. James Bond¨ the agent replied, a soft smirk on his lips at the way the young man tilted his head.

For Bond, Q wasn´t a name. And even while the merman seemed to have tried to tell him his real name, the only thing Bond was able to understand was that single letter: Q. The merman seemed fine with that abbreviation, and if he approved to be called that way, Bond wasn´t going to protest.

¨James¨ Q mumbled then, the name rolling out of his lips in a soft, luscious tone that spiked Bond´s entire anatomy. He then signaled to himself ¨Q¨ he mumbled, before sliding against the covers and pillows once more, a yawn breaking past his lips.

Bond couldn´t help but smile, just a quirk on his lips, something different from his usual cool indifference. He silently draped the sheets above Q´s curling body, chuckling at how the young man seemed to struggle with how to accommodate his new legs, fuming under his breath.

¨Rest for now. Tomorrow we could decide what to do with your… appearance¨ Bond said, tucking Q, looking into those endless green eyes that seemed to bore and cave deep inside his soul.

Those green eyes that slowly began to close, a soft hum breaking past his lips as the young man slowly drifted away.

Bond gravitated towards a couch near, draping over a blanket and simply sitting there.

Along the endless hours, the only thing Bond was aware of was the soft hum of Q´s breath, his figure ethereal and mystifying against white.

An image he couldn´t help but carve deep inside. A memory of gleaming silver expanses that now lay bare, beautiful and open, in the confines of his bed.


End file.
